Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Its been a while since my last post, so I thought I better get everyone caught up. Avery Rose will be 12 weeks on Thursday, and she's growing and changing so much. Here's a photo of her in the outfit Auntie Tiffany gave her.....Peace, Love, Rock and Roll! Figured I better get a photo of her wearing it before it doesn't fit anymore......so cute! And the other photo is one of my favorites of her so far. Too bad I couldn't catch her smiling (darn flash delay on my camera). I can't believe she's almost 3 months old already.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Avery turned 6 weeks today......how fast time flys. Her Halloween costume came today as well so I couldn't resist putting it on her. She is our precious Bat Fairy! And for those of you that haven't heard of Etsy.com, check it out! I found this costume on there (shipped in 3 days) and everything sold on the site is home-made.....from jewelry and fun gifts, to cute childrens' wear.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Sorry everyone, we've been slacking keeping up with the Blog. Having a newborn sure does keep us busy! Not to mention the lack of sleep....but well worth it!Here is a pic of Avery on her one month birthday last Sunday. I can't believe its been a month already. And for giggles, the other photo is Josh and Avery and how similar their hairlines are....hee hee. Must run in the family!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Here's a fun pic of Great Grandma Jonna giving Avery a bath while giving me the stink eye...doesn't like it too much yet!And she has her eyes open for those (Jeff) wanting to see pics of her "not" sleeping.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

To celebrate Avery's 2 week old birthday we ventured out to The Design Center to introduce Avery to all my design family and then we headed to Entercom to introduce her to Josh's radio peeps. She was very popular by all. Here is a photo of our precious baby.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

This morning we celebrate with Mimosa's and Avery off the lights! The nurse came by and took away the equipment and Josh and I couldn't be happier. Finally I get to dress the baby in something cute and get back on "her" schedule instead of the Bilibed. We actually got approx 6 1/2 hours of sleep last night too....thanks to Avery sleeping comfortably and not tied down. Thank you to everyone for their kind words of encouragement.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

We'll take it. We also are allowed to take her off the lights at nine pm tonight. They will come and take blood again tomorrow and if the rate continues to fall then we are done with the lights for good. Keep you posted on progress tomorrow. Thanks!

Friday, September 5, 2008

13.8! Normal levels are considered under 12 for those of you not in the know. The results are not single digits like we had hoped but at least it's down again today. We can also remove the light paddle on her chest at this point which is one of her biggest angst with the whole contraption. Another test tomorrow morning and so on and so forth; we'll update as we know more.

Once again we are waiting for test results from blood drawn at 1. Waiting is hard right now but her color really seems to be coming around. We are also encouraged that she is more active and has grown to hate the bed. Let's just hope that these next results will be good so we can rid ourselves of the glow light baby bed. Update when we know.
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Thursday, September 4, 2008

Sorry for all those of you following at home; we did not mean for the delay in updates to be so long. Our hope was that we would get two good blood tests and be out of the woods. Avery's jaundice counts have come down; last night by over 4pts but today only showed her down another .8 of a pt. We were hoping for single digits and to be done with the light setup today. With the new test we have to put both lights back on her and again keep a close eye on what is happening. Needless to say this is hard on us both; Monica is prone to spontaneous tears but we are managing. I'm sure some of you grizzly vets out there may be laughing at us but as first time parents every little bump feels like a coasters first big drop. For these reasons we have been very busy today and have put off some of the updates we promised. Once things return to normal we'll be back up and running with our planned posts. Hope everyone is well; we greatly appreciate all the prayers and thoughts.

PS For those of you keeping tabs on the tie downs for Monica; she did hit a wall yesterday afternoon and got some good sleep over the last 24 hours. Beyond the emotional roller coaster she is doing great, let's just hope Avery gets better soon so Momma will stop worrying.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The doctor has already called us back about the blood levels and Avery has a very high jaundice level at this time. High enough that they are sending a team as I write to setup lights and begin some in home treatment on her. Needless to say this has thrown both of us for a loop, Mon more so then I but still its a little scary being first time parents. Please keep your fingers crossed and prayers that the treatment will take care of this thing without further complications. We will update everyone one soon as we know more.

Avery passed with flying colors at the doctor today. She still is a little orange from the jaundice but they say its mild. As a precaution they took some more blood and we should know more this afternoon.

Last night was great, she started with a four hour sleep followed by a two and a half hour sleep. Despite the good sleep Mon is a little wore down today and I'm trying to get her to rest. She seems better every day but still she needs to take it easy right now.

Monica did post new pics through out the blog last night of the past two days. She has also said that she will make a post sometime today so look for that. Also soon to come is my favorite changing story to date. We even have a pic to show the aftermath. More to come soon.......

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Avery had another good night. Except for one rough patch about 230am she has done great. She loves to eat but is big on the cluster feeding which makes timing a trick. Babies first Dr appointment is tomorrow so we look forward to getting back good reviews. She is a little orange but we have her in the sun today and as said above she is feeding often. Monica is also doing well and getting around better every day.

Monday, September 1, 2008

It's been a lazy holiday Monday. Last night went very well and Avery took a big nap this morning. My day has been spent working with the dogs and doing things for my ladies. Mon has tried to take it easy but I'm telling you I really need some tie downs for the bed. Although the tie downs might make visitors a little uncomfortable, lol. Speaking of visitors we had several today; Amanda came by and helped Mon out with a few personal things and Jewel brought by an awesome casserole for us. Thanks to you both. And then as a topper Steph, Mark and the new cousins came by; bringing more food and some much needed caffeine. It's fun to watch Cade and Ava with Avery and of course Steph is a doting new aunt.

Avery is starting to hit little patches where she wants to hang out. Those short moments right now are a blast unless they happen to be at 330AM. Even then you just try to enjoy the moment as you are constantly reminded by all those around you who already have kids that they grow up to fast. Funny, you are bombarded by advice from the moment you tell people you are having kids; nothing like children to bring out the counselor in people. But I think the funniest bit of this is the new "they grow up fast one", its freaking universal. I was getting groceries yesterday and the bagger mentioned I looked tired. So being the proud new papa I informed her of our new addition and the next words out of her mouth were "oh enjoy these times, they grow up so fast". Unfreaking believable!

Well that about wraps the day to this point. Like I mentioned above I apologize about the lack of posts today but our writers took the holiday off. Please pardon this brief interruption and look for new post and pics tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day.

Avery is certainly making this parenting thing easy; waking every 3 to 3.5 hour to eat, be changed and then she is ready to hit the sack again. She gave us four cycles of that last night allowing Mon and I both some quality sleep.

The dogs still are not quite sure what to think of her but they know stuffs changing. Avery thinks they're killer to look at so the integration has begun.

Promise to post more pics at some point today.
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Saturday, August 30, 2008

Everyone is home and doing great. Avery has not missed a beat and seems to be in a good groove. It is allowing Monica and I time to rest which has been wonderful considering the first night. Monica is also feeling well, the staples issue was nothing serious and now it's just a matter of keeping her in bed.

One of the best parts of bring Avery home was introducing her to the dogs. Both are not quite sure what to think but they know its big. Aspen was very hurt when we first got home because Mon took Avery into our room and shut the dogs out. Aspen looked like someone had just pee'd in his Cherios, Big change are coming pooches. We took pics and will post them sooner then later.

The doctors have been into talk to us this morning and it sounds like we will be released around 2PM this afternoon. Both Monica and I are very excited to get Avery home. Nothing like your own surroundings to help with the transition and healing.

Also Avery's Belly Ruben counts(Rubin, not sure the correct spelling as both can be found on Medical MD) was about 11 yesterday so they just had to take more blood to check her levels today. Talk about mess'n with a mother Bear's cub; I thought Monica was going to levitate off the bed and cold cock the women. Always hard to watch your baby get poked and then squeezed. Oh the joys of parenthood. I told Monica well at least she is a girl, if it was a boy then circumcision would be almost impossible for her.

That's the update from now, I hope the next post I make is from the comforts of our own home. Also I want to get Monica on here in the next few days so she can relate where she is to all of you following us out there.

Sorry to all those of you out there looking for hour by hour updates, yesterday Monica and I were both wiped out from 2.5 hours of sleep the night before. Additionally the pain medication they had Monica on was not working so she was in an immense amount of pain yesterday. She was very worried that something more serious was wrong. Fortunately we were able to catch Dr. Callahan before she left for the long holiday weekend; she reassured Monica that the areas of pain were part of the deal and additionally switched up the pain meds. As the drugs started to take hold last night, Monica was able to relax and get some sleep.

Baby Avery also helped out, she got into a groove allowing mom and dad some much needed rest. The nurses last night were also very helpful and full of information. So overall yesterday had a challenging start but finished great. Everyone is up this morning and doing well. Monica is even up and around (although I'm trying to get her to still take it easy, those Koreski's like to go) this morning taking tons of photo's as she dresses Avery in all types of hats and head bands.

Dear God what have we done, j/k. All those of you that warned about no sleep were right on. Monica and I both tried to alternate last night but the combination of nerves and excitement kept us both in lite sleep. We're both tired this morning but have already mastered ancient techniques like, swaddling, diaper changing, burping, and for Mon the nursing gig. Avery is great but turns into a little ball of rage once the diaper gets dirty (guess though we better stay on top of this so the home she eventually puts us in will change our promptly as well). The story and fun will go on.
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Thursday, August 28, 2008

I think this will be my last post for today. What a hell of a day! Avery is amazing and its been so fun for both Monica and I. The out pouring of love and support has been very touching to both of us as well.

Couple of notes that I don't think I got into the blog today:

1) Avery had the cord around her neck so the scheduled c was a very fortunate thing.

2) Monica is doing incredibly well according to nurses and doctors. She even got up by herself this evening so they are very encouraged by her progress.

3) Looks like Saturday evening will be release time. I'll update you as I know more.

4) It is confirmed Monica is a reality tv addict. She had Jeff dvr Big Brother tonight and is still watching it in the room as we speak. They may hold her for a few more days for research purposes. Lol.

Well goodnight world, it has been a wild ride that we are so happy to have been able to share with you.

We are in the process of moving to our permanent home for the next few days. Avery and Monica are both doing great. Avery nursed for 35 minutes right away and got her first bath. She is perfect. Monica is sore but overjoyed to have laid eyes on her.

I will post pictures in the next hour or so I promise. Crazy carnival but I know we have lot of people wanting to see her.

Thank you for all the love and support today, Monica and I have both appreciated all the comments on the blog.
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Avery joined us 11:55AM (PST) today. She weighed 7lbs 12.9oz and 18" long. Will have to review the votes to see who won although I think it's safe to rule Steve W's vote. Lol. Avery is beautiful and Monica is doing well. Mon had some issues with nausea but beyond that everything went very well according to the doctors. What an incredible experience! Will post photo's soon.
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Dr Callahan just came in and we are still holding. New estimate is 1130. Uh the waiting is the hardest part. Monica is ready to get going so keep your thoughts prayers that she stays relaxed. Amanda has just shown up so the party grows by another member. Meme has not dawned the crown yet but I'm promised it will come. Update you as we know more. This blog thing is a blast. Guess one of the unintended actions is that your mother and sister can air out your laundry. Thanks Mom and Tiff for the tooth story. Lol.

Oh and now we have Steph, Cade, and Ava to add to the party crowd. Boy will this hospital remember us.

Geezer and Meme have arrived. Doctor Callahan has been in, everyone is in holder pattern. For those of you following, here is the big question: What do you think Avery's size and length will be? Post your guess, we have written down our guesses and will update the winner soon as we know. Whew, still can not believe we're here.

We have just been informed that we are in a holding pattern until an ongoing emergency is resolved with another patient. Estimated time now is about 10 to 1030 but that is more of a guess. Will update when we are going in.
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After further review of the hospital fine print, email is fine (so the blog will go on) but talking is not. Guess the blog will be your first source for updates, yeah blog!

Monica is doing great, getting asked all the fun questions, have you ever taken money for sex or drugs? Yes. What? J/K. Baby has been on the monitor and is doing great. Keep your thoughts and prayers for Mon as she goes under the drugs. This is the one thing she is a little stressed about. Stay tuned.

Ok so we have arrived and Monica is getting suited up. We are not suppose to use cell phones so this may be my last post for a while. While I'm on the subject of rule breaking I would like to point out that blogging and driving is highly dangerous and illegal. Don't do it kids. Also if you were wondering, no we did not get sponsor dollars from Sprint and Blackberry, its just the auto signature on the phone (yes Charlie I have tried). So that's the update, more to come.

Just two short years ago....

The riDIRKSulous Blog

Monica and I met five years ago; after almost three years of dating we decided to tie the knot.Then last winter after returning from a Seahawks game Monica informed me we were pregnant.The last nine months have flown by; tomorrow is the big day!This is the continued story.We look forward to sharing our new Rose and life with the many of you we don’t have the fortune of seeing daily.Here we go!